After a 10-hour wait in the Mumbai domestic airport for a 40 minute flight to Ahmedabad, we arrived yesterday evening to this new city. Ahmebadad is such a breath of fresh air, literally. It isn't smoggy. It is a clean, vibrant, and wonderful city. Today we walked to the market. Not once did we encounter the sadness of the poverty that we had in Mumbai. This is not to say that the people of Ahmedabad are well off, however the city as a whole seems less chaotic, and the disparity less blatant.
Everywhere we go here, people are interested in having conversations with us. They ask questions, they are curious. The area is reknown for its bright colours, its festivals and dancing. Already, I feel quite at home here, not as bound by my internal struggles with the injustice of the extreme poverty admist financial and industrial growth. Perhaps these internal struggles clouded every minute of my stay in Mumbai.
Now, I am curious to find out more about Ahmedabad, its people, and its history. This was Ghandi's home town for a while. I have another 10 days to find out.
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